Zero to One - Advice From Peter Thiel

Construction as craft and as a business has been around for thousands of years.

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Contractors build and maintain the infrastructure that enables society to grow.  That history comes a lot of pride. It also brings a lot of difficult to change habits.

Leadership Tools: Advice from Peter Thiel. 10 Years vs 6 Months. Book: Zero to One by Peter Thiel.

With the rate that technology is changing the industry leaders in construction companies should learn a little more about how technologists think.  It will make you think differently about your strategy; especially around talent development and technology adoption.  

Peter Thiel challenges some assumptions about how long things should take to innovate in the book Zero to One.  

"If you go back 20 or 25 years, I wish I would have known that there was no need to wait."

“You should take your 10-year life plan and ask:  Why can't I do this in six months?”

"Sometimes, you have to actually go through the complex, 10-year trajectory; but it's at least worth asking whether that's the  story you're telling yourself, or whether that's the reality? "




TOOL: Growth Inflection Point Summary + Self-Evaluation Worksheet
At certain growth inflection points, you must re-evaluate your strategy, systems, structure, and leadership focus. Use this worksheet as a guide to help you determine if you are at an inflection point requiring change or focus on refinement.
Impacted Productivity - Dilution of Management
Dilution of management will compound an already impacted construction project. It is important for teams to realize the full costs of impacts as they start to occur.
Technology Integration - Critical Inflection Points and Streamlining Workflows
Construction technology can no longer be treated like a “Project” with a beginning, middle, and end to the implementation. There are now hundreds of specialized technology tools that can be implemented by contractors and each add individual value.